Thursday, June 2, 2011

If you are below 25 you will not be allowed to drink hard liquor anywhere in the state. Fresh restrictions have been imposed on liquor consumption. The legal drinking age for rum, gin, whisky, vodka and country made liquor has been fixed at 25 years.

This decision was taken during state cabinet meeting on Wednesday. Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said that the "legal drinking age for these hard drinks was 1 years previously".

The legal drinking age for the consumption of mild beer has similarly been fixed at 21 years. The provisions are a part of the government's new de-addiction policy, which was cleared by the cabinet of ministers.

The new policy also includes provisions that allow sale of only two liquor bottles (or 750 ml) a week to one permit holder. Penal action has been proposed for those violating this norm. Citizens will also be required to take permission from the excise department or the local police officials for serving alcohol during public functions, including birthdays and marriage parties.

Action would be taken against those flouting this norm, said Sachin Ahir, minister of state, social justice department, which formulated the policy. The local police station and excise officials will also have powers to revoke the drinking permit and initiate criminal action against someone found creating nuisance after getting drunk at a public function.

The policy also empowers the district collector to declare three additional dry days on "special" occasions apart from the nine statewide dry days. While the state excise department has claimed that most of the provisions, including the revised drinking age limits, had already been incorporated in the act, Shivajirao Moghe, minister, social justice department, said that the new policy would aim to enforce these.

A plan to stop issuance of new permits for liquor shops was shelved following objections raised by other departments. The cabinet agreed to take action against sale on liquor by retired and acting servicemen, who have been allotted shops under government quota.

The government has also decided to retain the norm of disallowing setting up of bars or liquor vends 75 m and 50 m respectively from schools, state government offices, gardens, religious sites, state and national highways in municipal corporation limits and 100m in other areas.